Various types of structures are used to create interior and exterior architectural surfaces, such as walls, ceilings, and floors. Examples of commonly-used construction materials are drywall, the coat plaster, veneer coat plaster, concrete, stucco, plywood, siding, and wood veneer, among others. Drywall, for example, is a commonly-used construction material that provides an inexpensive yet robust option for constructing walls and ceilings. Large sheets of drywall can be cut and arranged to fit a wide variety of shapes. Gaps can be created by removing a portion from the drywall sheets so that features such as doors, windows, electrical outlets or other desired elements can be provided on the architectural surface. These gaps may be created before or after the drywall sheets are fixed in place. Shaped and cut drywall sheets are generally installed in an internal space by first securing the sheets to a wooden or steel frame. The individual wooden or steel beams that make up the frame are commonly referred to as studs. Once the drywall sheets are secured to the studs, a subsequent installation step includes applying a drywall compound to the seams and corners of the drywall sheets and to any screws and other fasteners used to secure the drywall sheets to the studs. The drywall compound hides any dents or seams in a drywall sheet so as to provide a substantially smooth surface. Typically, a corner bead made from metal or plastic is applied to outside corners before the drywall compound is applied, so as to reinforce the corners and ensure straight corner edges.
The design of architectural surfaces increasingly includes light features for decorative or functional purposes. Recessed lighting, for example, is commonly employed to provide a desired lighting effect. With recessed lighting, the majority of a lighting system is disposed substantially behind or recessed into an architectural surface or feature (such as a soffit). The lighting system typically includes a housing, a light source, such as an incandescent, fluorescent or halogen bulb, and some means for electrically connecting the fixture to a source of operating power. With new construction, the fixture is typically supported by hangers attached to joists. When remodeling, the fixture may be inserted through an aperture formed in an existing surface and attached to the surface material, such that the aperture provides a path for light generated by the light source.
More recently, the options for functional and decorative lighting designs has increased with the advent of newer light sources, such as LEDs, video panels, and other image forming devices. Accordingly, light sources are being incorporated into architectural surfaces in a variety of news ways. Often, the architectural surface is formed with gaps into which light sources are placed. The gaps may have various shapes, such as linear strips, arcuate curves, or other geometric profiles. One or more light sources are inserted into the gaps to provide the desired lighting effect.
Various fixtures have been proposed to secure the light sources to the architectural surfaces. Typically, these fixtures have a relatively large depth profile that necessitates excessive clearance space behind the ceiling, wall, or floor surface. Additionally, such lighting fixtures and systems are overly difficult to install, whether being used in new construction or in remodeling or renovation of existing dwellings. For example, it may be necessary to reframe a wall to add sufficient depth for the lighting fixture, which may also require cutting and reframing window sills, headers, and other architectural features for structural continuity. Conventional fixtures may be thicker than typical wall cavities and therefore require extra framing sizes. The overly bulky conventional fixtures may further interfere with other systems such as HVAC ducts, plumbing pipes, and electrical conduit runs, thereby requiring additional care when planning system layout and coordinating field installation. It is also difficult to insert and/or remove the light source from such conventional fixtures. Still further, conventional fixtures suffer from socket shadow, where light sources arranged end-to-end create light variations on the lens or louver of the fixture.